Cheap T-reg freelander 1.8 worth a punt?

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E

Emeye

New Member
Posts
69
Location
Manchester, UK
Hello,

I've been offered a 5dr T-reg 1.8 Freelander for £1500 by mate in the trader.

To research I've had a look around t'internet and read a buyer guide from a 2006 Land Rover magazine my dad had been hoarding. :)

It drives pretty well, is in great condition, seems to have been really well looked after, but I know they have a reputation for not being that reliable.

Good points:

Only 72k miles with full history
Silver Body work is mint
Interior is good
Underneath it looks like it has never been off-road
Has had the latest Head gasket fitted
Has a sunroof - which does not seem to be leaking, and it has rained a lot in the last 2 days.

Bad points:
Hill Descent light on permanently, but I see this is a common fault, hopefully throttle cable free-play or wiring.
ABS light stays on until the car is driven and the brakes are used for the first time.
Steering wheel seems slightly off centre, but it drives straight
One of the rear doors has dodgy central locking, can't open from outside but locks.
A slight knocking sound over bumps in the road.

Thing is it seems a lot of car for the money, and it will mainly be running me the 5 miles to and from work, but could I be buying a whole heap of trouble?

Cheers. :)
 
I'd say it depends if you're any good with a toolkit and haynes manual.

I'm more than happy with my 1.8 freeby, but it's cost me a lot in upkeep and time.

If you're not afraid to get your hands dirty then go ahead i suppose.
 
ABS light is supposed to come on with the ignition then only goes off when you reach 5mph (assuming the system self check finds no faults)

Knocking is most likely the anti-roll bar at the front or the diff mounts at the rear, mine does it and I keep meaning to sort it out...

Do a search on here for VCU (viscous coupling unit) it lives on along the rear propshaft and splits drive to the rear wheels if & when necessary... They can & do fail, searching here will arm you with some good solid info.

Also search for IRD (intermediate reduction drive) unit, this takes drive from the gearbox and sends it to the rear wheels (through the VCU) A failed or failing VCU can cause the IRD to lunch itself, resulting in a bill of quite a few hundred notes.

As it's got a full history and low milage and has a new type headgasket then that side of it should be ok, check to see if it has had the thermostat relocated. If it hasn't then it's worth doing, lessens the chance of head gasket related troubles.
 
BigDaftAl said:
ABS light is supposed to come on with the ignition then only goes off when you reach 5mph (assuming the system self check finds no faults)
Click to expand...

I had forgotten about that, my Y reg 1.8 did the same and we had that from new.

Sounds quite a good buy for the money. Like any car it could be very reliable or a complete dog, if the previous owner had had the car along time that maybe an indicator the car was fine, rather than a string of owners over a short time.
 
dont bother with the petrols ! diesel if any. XDI or TDI

every day you here of another head go on the damm 1.8's !

escape while you can ! :doh:
 
Thanks for the replies. :)

Quick update,

Turns out it doesn't have a FSH, just receipts for the Headgasket parts and other parts from 2009.

I took it on a decent test drive tonight, including a local green lane and I was so impressed how well it got on.

Only problem is that the throttle kept getting stuck at about 3k rpm, blipping the throttle cleared it, but it soon came back.

Hummmmmm. Thinking it might be a no.
 
Possibly the plastic throttle body is warped causing it to stick - a change to a metal throttle body should sort it out - usually plenty on ebay.
 
Mantamad said:
Possibly the plastic throttle body is warped causing it to stick - a change to a metal throttle body should sort it out - usually plenty on ebay.
Click to expand...

Seconded, or someones tightened up the jubilee clip too tight where the air pipe meets the throttle body.

Very simple thing to fix really, would be a shame to leave it based on that alone.
 
I'd say keep away. If you insist on getting a Freelander, your best bet is the TD4. Even then, there's still quite a few common problems with them.

If you're serious about green laning or off roading (don't know whether you are or not) The Freelander is imo far from being the best choice.
 
Hi,i have recently bought a 1.8 freelander and i love it!,of course i considered a td4 but that instantly adds £££££££££££ to the price of the landy so i really did not see the point because as mentioned these also have there faults!My landy only has part history but i to bought one with a recent head gasket change already done,i think as said the bits you thought are faults are infact normal or easy diy jobs and i think its a good price especially if it drives well so i say get it but thats just me!! As for off roading i only do light or green laning and am well chuffed with how it performed!!
 
Cheers everyone,

Someone else has now bought it, but to be honest I think I was paying over the odds as I was reverse part-exing my gf's diesel Polo and doing the figures I would have been probably paying more than £1500.

I'm going to sell the Polo and then find one.

Cheers.
 
RichM said:
If you're serious about green laning or off roading (don't know whether you are or not) The Freelander is imo far from being the best choice.
Click to expand...

For the class of the vehicle, in my opinion it's the best choice. Get some manly wheels and tyres and then come back and tell us your opinion :D

Granted, it's no Defender but i'm more than happy with how my freeby handles off road.
 
I'm having serious second thoughts now - it's still available, and after a few days running around in my missus' Polo I'm looking forward to fixing throttle bodies! :D

God I'm crap at decisions.
 
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